there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin
by applecoral
Summary: He couldn't stop thinking about her. He wasn't even able to enjoy a full conversation with her without embarrassingly stumbling over his words and having his cheeks flush a light pink.


He sat cross-legged in the middle of his living room. With his eyes closed and relaxing music playing from his speakers, he was finally starting to relax. His uncle suggested meditation to improve his focus, but Ben never liked sitting still for too long.

The sound of something hitting the wall in the hallway broke him out of his serene state. He could hear muffled voices growing increasingly in volume. With a growl, Ben stormed over to his door and flung it open.

Three sets of eyes turned to look at him. Time seemed to stop as he made eye contact with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

She spoke first. "Sorry, are we being too loud?"

He noticed that she and one of her friends were trying to carry a sofa through the door of the apartment next to his. The other friend stood to the side, directing them on where to move.

"Um, yeah, a little." His eyes were still focused on the girl.

"I'm Rey. That's Finn," She pointed to the male holding up the other end of the sofa. "And Poe."

"I'm Ben."

"The elevator's broken, so we had to carry this all the way up the stairs." Poe said.

"It wouldn't have been that bad, except Rey just had to move to the sixth floor!" Finn complained.

"I got a good deal on this apartment!" She protested.

"You guys can argue about this later. Just carry the damn sofa in." Poe sighed. It was like watching two children fight.

"Oh, and it was nice to meet you, Ben!" Rey smiled at him, and god, he was sure that she could hear his heart beating rapidly.

"Yeah, you too." He blushed before closing the door forcefully.

"Idiot." He grumbled to himself before closing his eyes and dropping onto his sofa face first.

* * *

He couldn't stop thinking about her. Whenever Ben left his apartment, she was usually there, returning from a run around the neighbourhood and greeting him with a smile so bright, it rivaled the sun. He wasn't even able to enjoy a full conversation with her without embarrassingly stumbling over his words and having his cheeks flush a light pink. He would be cooking dinner when Rey's laughter would carry over from her apartment and god; he wanted to be the one to make her laugh. Trying to meditate didn't work; his thoughts would turn to Rey as he heard her moving around next door. Occasionally her friends Finn and Poe would be there, and they'd play obnoxiously loud music. The image of Rey dancing would be stuck in his head for days. Worst of all, the wall of her bathroom was directly against his bedroom wall. He would always be awoken by the sound of her melodic singing. It was hard not to think about the fact that she was showering next door, so he focused on her voice instead. If only he had the courage to ask her out, he wouldn't be constantly thinking about her.

* * *

The elevator was finally fixed after three weeks of being out of order. Although he appreciated the exercise, it was exhausting having to walk up and down six flights of stairs each day.

Ben stepped into the elevator, tapping the button for his floor.

"Hold the lift, please!" It felt like a million butterflies bloomed in his stomach as he heard the voice that was unmistakably Rey's.

His breath caught in his throat as she rushed into the elevator.

"Thanks, Ben." She grinned at him. "I am so glad the elevator's fixed. I was getting tired of taking the stairs."

"Yeah, me too." His fingers twitched nervously, causing him to forcefully press the door close button. The elevator started to move, but as it approached the fourth floor, the lights flickered briefly and it came to a shuddering halt.

"Oh, shit." Rey leaned forward, tapping the door open button. The doors remained shut. She hit the alarm button, expecting the shrill siren to go off. A minute went by, but nothing happened. "Great, now we're stuck here for god knows how long."

Ben's palms started to sweat, his eyes darting around nervously. How was he going to handle being stuck in a cramped space with the woman he constantly thought about?

"Oh, fuck me." He muttered under his breath.

"Okay." Ben's eyes widened. Was he losing it? He looked over at Rey. She smiled at him suggestively.

"Sorry, what?" His heart pounded in his chest as she moved closer to him. She smelled like vanilla.

"You heard me." Her fingers danced across his bicep. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. He had to be dreaming, right?

Ben licked his lips nervously, when Rey grinned.

"I'm sorry, you're just so cute when you're flustered-"

In one smooth motion, Ben wrapped his arm around Rey's waist and pulled her flush against him. "Cute?" He asked, voice lowering to a husky whisper.

"Adorable." She smirked. They were so close; he could feel her breath on him.

Ben leaned down, brushing his lips with hers. Rey closed her eyes, deepening the kiss. Her tongue slid into his mouth, sliding across his tongue. One hand reached up to gently touch his face, while the other tangled itself into his hair. He moved her against the wall, tugging one of her legs up to wrap around his waist, the other one following along. His lips moved in tandem to hers.

The elevator shook and a robotic voice came over the speakers. "Please remain calm; assistance will arrive in ten minutes."

They broke apart, panting heavily.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that for."


End file.
